Duesenberg Multibender on Gretsch G5700

[Ken Dangerfield]

I purchased this bender and the GeorgeBoards roller nut to go on my Gretsch. I'm about to take it in to have them installed by the fellow who does all the work on my guitars.

The roller nut raises the strings a bit at that end. Out of the box, the Duesenberg's bridge saddles are completely down and just eyeballing they look to be at about the same height as the stock Gretsch bridge so raising the saddles with the set screws should bring the strings up enough.

Anyone have experience with this? Was it necessary to shim the Duesenberg bridge plate? Thanks.

[Andy Fekete]

I installed a Duesenberg Multibender and Georgeboards roller nut on my Gretsch G5700 and they work great. You'll love it.

I also installed a slightly wider Fender Deluxe 6 string fingerboard and a Seymour Duncan Phat Cat Silencer P-90 Bridge pickup (the stock PU hummed too much). I bought both of them on Reverb.

I really like the end results because it's smaller and lighter than my Asher Electro Hawaiian and easy to take for gigs or jam sessions.

[Ken Dangerfield]

Good to hear that it works out well. Did you find that you needed a shim under the bridge plate?

[Andy Fekete]

No shims were needed. Worked fine without...

[Ken Dangerfield]

Thanks Andy. I have an appointment booked for installation next week with the guitar tech I always use and will report back.

[Peter Funk]

I did the same some years ago. As far as I remember, not even extra holes had to be drilled. As easy, as that.
Very satisfied with the result:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt2OD2JZZ5I

[Ken Dangerfield]

Very nice playing Peter. I will have a lot of practising to do

[Ken Dangerfield]

The Multibender (2 levers) is being installed on my lap steel on Thursday which brings up the question of how I want to adjust the detuning. Recall that the Multibender can raise or lower the pitch by as much as 3 semitones (probably only 2 in useful practical terms).

I'm using C6 tuning currently. Any suggestions or experience as to which bends have been most useful?

[Ken Dangerfield]

The Multibender and GeorgeBoards roller nut were installed yesterday with no hitches at all. Very straightforward according to my luthier friend. There is more than enough height adjustment on the bridge saddles to match the string height at the roller nut so a shim was not required.

I'm beginning my journey in C6 tuning. I'm starting off with the 2nd string lowered a half tone to B. In addition to the root (C) triad inversions and the minor vi (A) inherent in the C6 tuning this will give me the CM7 and a couple of inversions of the relative minor (Em). Also the root and 3rd of the V (G).

With the 3rd string raised a half tone to A# (Bb) I get the dominant C7 and a fully diminished minor iii (E dim) available.

That's a lot for a newbie like me to learn to use fluently, without even moving the bar

Other suggestions welcomed.

[Ron Welch]

Good morning, I’m new to this site and the steel guitar, former guitar player and some mandolin, can’t play them anymore due to some problems with my right arm, so I raised the action on my Telecaster and started messing around with that and it has been working out and I decided to get a Gretsch G5700. I would love to see some pictures of your new setup, Thanks Ron from Maryland.

[Ken Dangerfield]

Ron: Here are few pix of the bridge and roller nut installed.

Bridge.JPEG

Nut.JPEG

Full.JPEG

I have the guitar tuned C6 with the levers on the 2nd and 3rd strings. As a newbie on this instrument (but not to music and music theory in general) here are my impressions, so far:

- I am somewhat underwhelmed. This is an interesting experiment that I doubt I would repeat.
- the bridge is extremely well built but somewhat finicky to adjust and string.
- I have the lever on the 2nd string set to lower it a semitone from C to B. It hits the B perfectly but does not return perfectly to C. I have not been able to adjust my way around that. I suspect I will have to use a lighter gauge string so that the internal spring can push back enough.
- the lever on the 3rd string works perfectly to raise from A to Bb and lower again. However, the amount of travel of the lever to do that feels a bit awkward and takes my picking hand out of good position for subsequent notes.

Again, from a newbie perspective, if the point is to suggest a bit of the vibe of a pedal steel, I think I can do a better job of that with better bar technique and a volume pedal, or a pedal steel .

Just my opinion, YMMV.

PS: I'm too old to bend over and adjust pedals on the floor, so I built that rack that I can reach while sitting/playing.

[Doug Anderson]

Sorry to hear you don't like the benders, '

I have watched a bunch of the Lessons by Troy videos about how to used the benders and I really like the lap steel sound he gets. Most of his videos are in open D (raising the 3rd stings 1/2 and raising the 2nd string a full step). He has some videos in C6 too. I think his lessons are awesome.

I thought I would just throw this out as a resource for using the benders in case it helps. Several of the videos are on a Duesenberg too.

I'm planning to add Peters Benders to my SX in the next month or two.

[Ron Welch]

Thanks for sharing the pictures and your opinion about it. Ron

[Paul Strojan]

I have a Jackson Slide King with two benders (G#, E, B to C#, G# to A, F#, E, D, C#). The B-Bender adds back in the 6th note freeing up a string to be used for other harmonic possibilities. If you are used to C6 I would recommend tuning E, C, G to A, E to F and experiment with the bottom two strings. Bb, C, and D would all work.